Syracuse Fires Assistant Basketball Coach Bernie Fine

NEW YORK, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Syracuse University fired assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine, the target of an investigation into allegations he molested a former ball boy and at least one other boy, the university said on Sunday.

"At the direction of Chancellor (Nancy) Cantor, Bernie Fine's employment with Syracuse University has been terminated, effective immediately," the school said on its website.

Fine, who has called the accusations against him "patently false in every aspect," was in his 35th season with Syracuse and the longest-serving coach at one school in major college basketball.

He was accused of inappropriate behavior with the former ball boy, identified as Bobby Davis, now 39, and his stepbrother Mike Lang, now 45, when they were juveniles.

Syracuse is the third major U.S. university to recently disclose an incident involving alleged abuse, including the announcement on Nov. 5 that a longtime assistant football coach at Penn State was charged with sexually abusing eight boys over nearly 15 years.

The Penn State scandal shocked the university and led to the dismissal of legendary head football coach Joe Paterno. (Reporting by Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Cynthia Johnston)